Searching Far and Wide
by Rappkea
Summary: Set 5 years after the events of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, Michael believes that the region of Orre is finally at peace for good. But when he learns of the whereabouts of his long lost father, he has to go searching for him.
1. Prologue

**A Note from Rappkea**

Hello, Internet, and welcome to my newest fanfiction. Some things before you begin reading. First off, this story is a sequel to Pokémon: XD Gale of Darkness and will contain a lot of references to Pokémon Colosseum as well. While I am a firm believer in not spoiling things for people and while I wish that my readers would play the two games before reading this fanfiction, I have wrote the entire two games in a nutshell for the prologue. Secondly, I know this is the third story that I have in progress. I just have a lot of ideas going on and I want to get them out and get them started. Also so I don't get bored of writing only one story. While I have three stories going on, if you wish for me to focus more on a certain story then please just PM me and let me know which one you want me to write more of. And lastly, for this story, I need a team of six Pokémon for the protagonist. I would like for readers to suggest Pokémon that could go in this story. Simply tell me in the comments below and I will try to put it in somewhere. Thank you, and enjoy.

**Disclaimer-I do not own Pokémon or any of the characters or Pokemon in the game. That is the property of Nintendo etc.**

Prologue

Today, I am going to tell you a legend, one that has been spoken of for the last 10 years. This is the legend of Orre.

Our story starts ten years ago, in the desert region of Orre. Deep in his laboratory hidden in the middle of the desert, a wicked man by the name of Ein, discovered the method of shutting off a Pokémon's heart. It would turn the Pokémon from an innocent creature into an evil fighting machine. When he completed his process he tested it on his most powerful Pokémon, Raikou. When the process was complete, Ein tested his Pokémon. His machines in his lab found an invisible, black and purple aura coming from Raikou. Ein was pleased with his experiment as his Raikou was turned into a Shadow Pokémon.

Ein presented this data to his master, Evice. Evice was the mastermind behind the criminal syndicate known as Cipher. Cipher saw Pokémon as only tools, used only to complete the goals of their master and with this new Shadow Pokémon, it would become easy for Cipher to obtain world domination. Once, the Shadow Pokémon process was completed, Evice had Ein turn his Tyranitar into a Shadow Pokémon and it powered up his Pokémon. Evice was pleased as well and he then had Ein mass produce Shadow Pokémon.

With the production of Shadow Pokémon in full swing, Evice assigned his second in command, Nascour to see to it that no one could stop him and his Shadow Pokémon from taking over the world. Nascour, with his Shadow Metagross, enlisted the help of four Cipher Admins: Miror B., Dakim, Lady Venus, and Ein. They were to ensure that the Shadow Pokémon plan would be carried out.

One thing that Cipher didn't account for was that the process could be reversed. By using the pure power of a Pokémon named Celebi, a Shadow Pokémon's heart could be reopened with the power of a mystical rock called the Relic Stone. The great Pokémon god, Arceus, foresaw the dawn of the Shadow Pokémon and told Celebi to create a pure sanctuary Where a Shadow Pokémon could be purified. This is the reason why Celebi created the Agate Forest and the Relic Stone. Agate forest was in the northwest region of Orre where everything was lush and fruitful and where life prospered. Soon, villagers found the Agate Forest and began to settle there and it was renamed the Agate Village.

One bright day in Agate Village, one young man by the name of Eagun was exploring around Agate Village with his loyal companion, Pikachu. As they walked around the village, Pikachu suddenly took off running. He ran down a small ramp and disappeared into a cave. Eagun followed his friend into the cave and he emerged in the Relic Forest. It was so calm and peaceful and it was surrounded by many tall trees and despite being underground, a blue sky could be seen. And in the center of this mystical place, was a stone pillar that Pikachu was sitting next to.

As Eagun approached the stone pillar a green light emanated from the rock and a small green fairy emerged from the Relic Stone. She flew up and flew in circles around Eagun. She stopped in front of the young man and then flew over to the stone pillar in the middle.

Eagun approached the tower and put his hand on the rock. Suddenly, light green writing appeared on the rock. It read, "Eagun, descendant of Reginald and Penelope, You have been chosen by the great god, Arceus to take on a great task."

Eagun was astonished. A great task? He looked at the legendary Pokémon. "Why me?" he asked. The writing under his hand suddenly faded and more took its place.

"You have been known to be pure of heart and that purity is needed. An evil organization is going to alter Pokémon and their hearts and turn them into fighting machines," the writing on the stone said.

Eagun looked at Celebi and then at Pikachu. "I am not trainer. How can I save Pokémon if I can't battle this organization?"

Celebi smiled and the writing changed again. "Do not worry about that. A chosen trainer will come to Agate and he will save these Pokémon."

Eagun nodded and Celebi nodded back. Eagun felt the writing change. "Now, return to your home and do not forget what you have seen here."

Eagun nodded and did as the legendary Pokémon asked.

As these events transpired, Cipher was moving right along with their Shadow Pokémon plan. The problem being is that they needed more Pokémon to turn into Shadow Pokémon. To fix this, Nascour turned to the help of Team Snagem. Team Snagem was a no-good gang of thieves led by their boss, Gonzap who agreed to Nacour's terms. Nascour wanted Team Snagem to steal or snag Pokémon from other trainers to convert them into Shadow Pokémon. Over time, Cipher feared that Shadow Pokémon could one day be used against them so Nascour gave Team Snagem two technologically advanced devices called Snag Machines. One was a giant device that looked a lot like a vending machine but it could turn ordinary Pokéballs into special ones called Snag Balls. They could actually snag a Shadow Pokémon from another trainer, even if it was already owned by the trainer, although it only worked on shadow Pokémon. The other Snag Machine was more like a piece of armor that fit over the user's left arm. Other than being form personal use, it served the same purpose as the other Snag Machine.

While this new partnership pleased most people in Team Snagem and Cipher, it did not please one member of Team Snagem by the name of Wes. Wes was a tall dark and handsome type. He had grey hair even though he was only 22 years old. When he wasn't wearing his Team Snagem uniform, he always wore a black under armor shirt and pants with a blue coat over it. He was most famous in Team Snagem for his Espeon and Umbreon and he was the team's best trainer. When he heard that Team Snagem would be joining with Cipher, he was appalled.

He didn't want to be a part of this and more importantly, he didn't want Team Snagem to be in league with Cipher. So one morning, he snuck out of the base bright and early with his Espeon and Umbreon and got on his motorcycle. He hid his ride around the corner of the canyon that Team Snagem's base was hidden in. he used the remote in his hand to activate a bomb that he hid in the base. An explosion could be heard throughout the entire base. Wes was pleased with his handiwork. Leaving Espeon to guard the bike, Wes and Umbreon ran towards the hole that he made in the wall of the base. Fortunately, the room that had the destroyed wall was the room that had the small personal Snag Machine. He took it off of its stand and then he and his Pokémon companion ran for their lives. Luckily, they reached the motorcycle before any Team Snagem members caught them. Gonzap watched Wes ride away, furious. Wes was actually pleased with his handiwork but he wasn't done. He activated the remote again detonating the second set of bombs that he put on the giant Snag Machine. The blast destroyed the base and Wes rode away leaving Team Snagem behind.

Finally free of Team Snagem, Wes made his way to the nearby Outskirt Stand. Made out of an unusable steam train, Wes ran into two men with something in the back of their truck. He paid them no mind and went in. Inside the stand, someone told him about a city called Phenac City that was just west of the Outskirt Stand. It was better than just staying here so Wes headed there. At the entrance were the two men with the bag in the back of their truck that Wes saw at the Outskirt Stand. They were moving what appeared to be a heavy bad out of the truck. However, Wes noticed something wrong. The bag was squirming and sounds from a gagged mouth could be heard. Wes defeated one of the two thugs, whose name was Folly and he and his buddy Trudly, and they fled, leaving their bag. Wes untied the bad and it turns out that inside the bag was redheaded girl by the name of Rui.

Rui was lost and alone and she was scared that the Folly and Trudly would come after her again. Wes reluctantly agreed to help her. Not knowing where to go to bring Rui home. The pair went to see the Mayor of Phenac City: Es Cade. The mayor said that he would begin an investigation to stop thugs like the pair that kidnapped Rui. He also told them to check out the Pokémon Stadium in Phenac City. On the way there, Wes ran into some of his old friends from Team Snagem. He had no idea how they followed him to Phenac City but there they were. As they talked, Rui found out Wes's real roots in Team Snagem, that Wes was one of the best Snaggers in Team Snagem, and how he betrayed them. Wes was getting sick and tired of this so he defeated his old pal, Wakin. After the battle, Rui had the idea to go and buy some Pokéballs. After searching around for some, Wes and Rui got some, free at the Outskirt Stand.

When the pair got back to Phenac, They heard from the townspeople that Mayor Es Cade was in trouble. They ran up to the mayor's office to find, not the mayor, but Folly and Trudly, three men dressed in futuristic armor, and a tall person in a sparkly gold disco outfit and afro hair painted half red and half white to look like a Pokéball. His name was Miror B. Miror B. couldn't stay though. He left the mayor's office with his three men in uniform to leave Folly and Trudly to battle Wes. Wes easily beat Folly but then Trudly was up. He defeated his first two Pokémon with ease, but when Trudly sent out his Makuhita, things got weird. Rui looked at Makuhita and saw a black aura coming off the Pokémon. Rui remembered. That was why the thugs kidnapped her, because she can see those Pokémon. Once Wes heard this, he knew what he had to do. He looked at his left arm as saw the Snag Machine. He took one of the Pokéballs that he had and used the Snag Machine to turn it into a Snag Ball. He used it to successfully snag Makuhita.

Wes and Rui then left the mayor's office to meet the three men in different colored armor. They were blocking the exits of the city. Wes defeated them and after learning that they artificially shut the Pokémon's heart off, headed for Pyrite Town, where Rui was kidnapped.

At Pyrite Town, Wes and Rui wandered through the dry, creepy town and met an influential man in Pyrite, Duking who informed the couple that in Pyrite, Shadow Pokémon were openly offered to winners of the town's Colosseum tournament. The local police force was powerless to stop the practice, so Duking, asked Wes to enter the tournament and investigate. Wes then found himself at the Pyrite Stadium where he won the tournament. As he left the Colloseum, Wes was stopped my a man in armor similar to that of the worn by Miror B.'s minions. He led Wes and Rui inside a nearby building where a Cipher Peon was about to present the Shadow Pokémon prize, but another one recognized Wes. The pair then battled their way through the building went into a maze-like cave set in the rock wall behind the building. As they battled through the cave, they eventually make their way to the disco-loving mastermind behind the Shadow Pokémon operation in Pyrite: Miror B. After defeating him and his four Ludicolos and snagging his Shadow Sudowudo, Wes returned a Plusle, the Pokémon Miror B. stole from Duking. After being thanked by Duking, a team of kids working in Duking's house introduce themselves as members of an anti-Cipher news network, known as the Kids Grid, who pledge their help to Wes and Rui.

As Wes and Rui are about to leave Pyrite, they are stopped by the town's fortune teller. She informs the two heroes that their next stop is Agate Village, a forested village in the mountains. This happened to be the place that Rui was on her way to when Folly and Trudly kidnapped her in Pyrite Town. Upon arrival, Rui introduces Wes to her grandfather, Eagun, the elder of the town. However they are interrupted by another villager runs into the room, telling them that the Relic Stone is under attack. Wes, following Eagun to the center of the tree, fights off four Cipher agents and enters the vast mystical space. Cipher knew that this stone was the only method in existence for purifying Shadow Pokémon and they sent their agent to destroy it. Eagun wouldn't let it happen so he challenged the Cipher Commander. After Wes watched Eagun and his loyal Pikachu lose to the Cipher Commander and his Shadow Hipmontop, Wes challenged him, snagged his Shadow Pokémon and secured the safety of the Relic Stone. After resting, Wes was given access to the Relic Stone, the only place where he can purify Shadow Pokémon. On a suggestion from Eagun, Wes decides to train his skills at the nearby Mt. Battle.

Upon reaching Mt. Battle, people informed Wes and Rui that Cipher has already taken over the first section of the mountain. After battling nine other Trainers, Wes battled the Cipher Admin, Dakim. Dakim owned a Shadow Entei.

After defeating Dakim, Wes learned of a secret town under Pyrite, known conveniently as The Under. Unfortunately, The Under was already run by Cipher and everyone there looked up to a beautiful woman by the name of Lady Venus. Luckily for Wes, and Rui, more members of the Kids Grid were there. They told Wes of Venus who was actually another Cipher Admin and she has great influence over The Under. After Wes confronted Venus and snagged her Suicune, Venus fled with Wes in pursuit. Her plan of escape was an underground subway that headed to an undisclosed location. After finding the key, that Lady Venus dropped, the heroes headed to Shadow Pokémon Lab via the subway. It was here where Pokémon were transformed into Shadow Pokémon. Unfortunately, when Wes left the subway a Cipher trainer saw him. He ran away. He knew he had to stop Wes from entering the lab. Unfortunately, in his panic, he dropped the key for the front door. He knew what he had to do. He set a bomb in the middle of the room, stepped back and blew it up. This created a chasm in the floor, making it impossible for Wes to enter. He was pretty pleased with himself and walked away, laughing. After he left, Wes found a sparkle in the corner of the room. It was the key for the front door. He smiled to himself and took the subway back to The Under. When Wes got into the Shadow Pokémon Lab, he battled his way, defeating many trainers and confronting the main scientist behind this entire Shadow Pokémon plot, Ein. Wes snagged his Raikou and halted the production of Shadow Pokémon.

Wes and Rui then received word that what was previously the construction site is now complete and officially named Realgam Tower. It was designed to be the final destination for all professional league trainers in Orre. However, it was also secretly, Cipher's main base of operations. When Wes and Rui entered the incredible structure, they remet all four admins: Miror B., Dakim, Venus, and Ein. They were there and ready to face Wes again. After defeating them, Wes was granted access to the Colosseum at the top of the building. There, he was greeted by a large crowd. A Cipher man named Nascour told Wes that he will have to face four trainers. After Wes defeated all four trainers, Nascour challenged him. Once defeated, Nascour tried to leave, only to be interrupted by Es Cade. Es Cade reveals that he is really none other than Evice, the head of Cipher, and he challenged Wes to a battle. Evice and his Tyranitar were powerful, they they weren't enough for Wes and his pair of Espeon and Umbreon. When Wes defeated him, Evice attempted to escape by helicopter, but his escape was thwarted by the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh who swooped in and blasted the helicopter out of the sky. Evice and Nascour were then arrested and the Shadow Pokémon plot was ended.

000

Or at least it was. The Orre region enjoyed five years of peace until the plot of the Shadow Pokemon came back. It all started with a young boy named Michael. He lived in the northwest region of Orre, in the PokéTransfer Lab. The head of the lab and his mother's boss, Professor Krane was studying the research of Ein on Shadow Pokémon. Why? A couple weeks ago, he had a dream were Celebi spoke to him. The fairy-like Pokémon informed Krane that the Shadow Pokémon threat would return. Since then he has been studying the Ein Files to create his own Snag Machine. One day, Krane shows Michael the Snag Machine and asks him to test it, since Krane was no trainer. However, just before he could test it, Krane was kidnapped. Three men in white armor showed up and dragged the Professor away from the lab. Michael tries to stop them but is held up by one of the men who used a Shadow Teddiursa. What a better time to test the Snag Machine? Michael snags it with ease. Unfortunately the villains, who are not identified as the new Cipher, got away.

Shortly after this, Michael goes after the Cipher Agents to rescue Krane and rescues him from the Cipher Admin, Loverina. After Krane is saved the labs now Pokémon purification system is fully operational. Michael could now purify Pokémon with ease now. With the new threat of cipher retunring to the world, Michael goes all over Orre on many adventures. He goes to the oasis city of Phenac only to discover that the entire city is being held hostage and all the "citizens" are really Cipher agents in disguise. After defeating all of them, Michael goes to the Coloseum to defeat the man behind all this, Cipher Admin Snattle. After Michael's victory and more encounters with Cipher and even Team Snagem, he learns of the Shadow Pokémon Factory. He heads right there to take down the factory. After Michael blows up the Shadow Machine at the top of the building, the last Cipher Admin, Gorigan comes out. After his defeat to Michael, Michael learns of the head master behind the Shadow Pokémon plan and the resurrection of Cipher, Master Greevil who Michael met earlier however Greevil was using the alias of Mr. Verich, who helped Michael out earlier. Greevil congratulates Michael on his progress and challenges him to come to Citadark Isle where he currently is. Michael accepts figures out how to get to Citadark Isle. It is an island off the coast of Gateon Port and it is surrounded by heavy storms and harsh whirlpools. Luckily, Michael used an advanced speed boat called the Robo Kyorge. With it Michael arrives on Citadark Isle. There he fights his way through the three Cipher Admins in addition to countless Cipher agents. Michael finally arrives at the top of the island which is an enormous dome. Greevil is waiting for Michael when he arrives. Greevil laughs manically and reveals to Michael, his most powerful Shadow Pokémon, XD-001. A hole in the dome opens up and an enormous Pokémon enters through. Michael recognized it as the legendary Pokémon of the sea, Lugia, however its skin was purple, not white, and its eyes were red. Michael used the Masterball which he got from Professor Krane to successfully snag Shadow Lugia. Michael then snags the rest of Greevil's team. After the battle, Greevil prepares to blow up Citadark Isle and everything on it, including Michael. However, his plans for evil are halted when his son enters and begs his father to stop. The words of his son get through to Greevil and he halts his evil ways.

In the months following, Michael spends his time purifying all 83 Shadow Pokémon, including Lugia who was said to be impossible to purify. The threat to Orre finally gone for good, Michael released all the Pokémon that he snagged and caught, all except his loyal Jolteon that evolved from the Eevee that he had. With nothing left to worry about, and with all the Shadow Pokémon purified, Michael returned home and retired his snag machine, but he leaves it safely on the table in the lab, ready to be used if it is ever needed again. Little did he know that he would be needing it again.

Sorry, this is kinda lengthy. I had a lot I wanted to get in before the official story starts. Please Like and review. Thanks ;)


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A cool breeze blew through the forest. It rustled the trees several Aipom, Beedrill, and Butterfree made their homes in. It blew across the sweaty skin of a Nidorino who was protecting his Nidorina from a small pack of Raticate. It blew into the bushes and made the grass on the ground swayed. The wind stopped when it blew through the golden-yellow fur of a Jolteon. Normally, Jolteon weren't in the woods. It wasn't their preferred home but this was a special case. Jolteon was sniffing the ground. He thought he had their scent but he lost it. At least he knew they were close.

"I know you're here," he said. "You can't hide forever, Mimi. The same goes for you, Plusey." Jolteon then proceeded to sniff the ground and walk away from where the two Pokémon were hiding.

A small blue ear peeped out from behind one of the trees. A red one peeped out from behind another tree. The blue ear belonged to a blue and yellow mouse Pokémon names Minun. The red ear belonged to a pokemon similar to Minun except he was red and he was a Plusle.

"Mimi, I think he is gone," the Plusle said. The two Pokémon came out of their hiding spots.

The Minun whose name was Mimi came out. "We sure showed him, huh, Plusey." The two Pokémon who were actually brother and sister began laughing at how they tricked Jolteon. Suddenly, they were attacked.

Jolteon leaped out of a bushed and pounced with such speed that it left a trail of white light behind him. He pinned down both of the Pokémon with each of his forepaws. "Got you," he said.

Plusey and Mimi were scared at first but then began laughing. "Dang it, Jolteon, why do your Quick Attack have to be so fast," Mimi said.

"Yeah, you are the king of Hide and Seek," Plusey added.

Jolteon smiled and released his grip on his two friends. Well, Mimi and Plusey were more than friends. They were the pets of his owner's sister. So, that made them family.

"I'm only good at finding you guys. I'm horrible at hiding," Jolteon replied. The three Pokémon laughed at each other when suddenly, they all heard a caw. It was of a bird but it sounded a lot bigger that just a Pidgey or a Spearow. Suddenly, they all saw a flock of Bird Pokémon come into view. It looked to be a flock of Staravia. Leading the V-shaped formation was a huge, proud, Staraptor. The Staraptor was glaring at Jolteon as it flew in and landed on the ground right in front of him. Jolteon looked up at the bird. Staraptor was at least two, maybe three times his size.

"We don't want any trouble guys," Jolteon said. He could hear the terrified shivers of Plusey and Mimi. They haven't been in a battle before so they were terrified at the huge Pokémon.

"You three have trespassed on our property," Staraptor said.

"We've been playing in these woods for months now," Jolteon said. "We've never caused any trouble before."

"Our clan does not approve of others in our area. Especially, Electric Pokémon since the Emolga started coming here," Staraptor explained.

"I'm sorry, we will just be going then," Jolteon said as he tried to leave the area. Mimi and Plusey followed suit. As they were about to leave two Staravia flew down from their perch in the trees and landed in front of them blocking the exit.

"So you can just come back later? I think not. The only way to deal with you is to teach you a lesson so that you never come back." Staraptor said as he started to fly. All of the Staravia flew up as well and they all fell back into the V-formation.

Jolteon reared up to get ready to attack. He turned his back to the Staravia that were still blocking the exit. Then, he hit them both with his hind legs, a move know as Double Kick. With the Staravia dazed, Jolteon shouted to his friends, "Run!" They did so and fled into the forest.

The two Staravia regained their center of balance and flew up to join the formation. "You'll pay for that," the Staraptor shouted.

Using the V-formation all of the birds flew at Jolteon. Their speed increased until they were flying at their fastest. There were about 20 birds coming at Jolteon, all using Aerial Ace. Jolteon reared up and got ready for battle. He charged up the electric energy that was inside him and his golden fur began to spark. "JOOOL-TEEE-OOON!" the Pokémon shouted as he let loose a Thunderbolt at the birds. He was aiming for Staraptor but the Staravia to his left was shot down. Jolteon kept firing one bolt after another and each attack knocked out a different Staravia. By the time the remained of the birds reached Jolteon, he was only hit by about six attacks. Jolteon stood back up after the attack. Aerial Ace doesn't miss so that means that there are only five Staravia, plus the Staraptor left.

Jolteon wasn't one to stay down though. He got up and looked around. The five Staravia were perched up in their trees and Staraptor was on the ground.

"I'm impressed. Jolteon are very common here in the forest and you are a tough one. My guess is that you came from that building over the river," he said.

He was right. Jolteon's owner was one of the few people who lived in the Pokémon HQ Lab. Jolteon only hoped that Plusey and Mimi got back in time to let Michael know where he was.

"Anyway," Staraptor started, "I think it is time to end this." The hawk flew upward and he began flying away. Jolteon stood there in confusion until Staraptor started to turn left and he began flying back at Jolteon. His speed picked up and he had a sinister look in his eyes. Jolteon got low and prepared for another Aerial Ace. However, Jolteon was wrong when the bird began to cover himself in flames. This wasn't an Aerial Ace. It was a Brave Bird. Jolteon got ready. He knew Brave Bird could miss which gave him a greater chance of pulling this off. However, the flames encompassing Staraptor meant that this would hurt a lot more. Jolteon got ready and Staraptor was mere feet from him. Jolteon jumped upward as the fiery bird flew under him. When Jolteon came down, his teeth had become electrified and glowed a white blue. Jolteon landed on the bird and bused Thunder Fang to bit into the bird's wing. Staraptor went down and Jolteon rolled off to the side, badly damaged.

Jolteon was hurt but not out, as he stood up and walked over to his injured opponent. He laid there motionless, indicated that he had been defeated. All the Staravia that were perched in the trees flew down to help their injured leader.

Jolteon just watched until he heard rustling behind him. He turned around to see his master, Michael. "Jolteon!" he said excited. Michael was a 16-year old boy with dark, red hair. He wore a yellow and black jacket along with black pants and goggles around his neck.

"Jolt! Jolt!" Jolteon said as he came up and met Michael. He stood up on his hind legs and rubbed his little black nose into the yellow shirt of his owner.

"I'm happy to see you're alright. Mimi and Plusey came into the lab and led Jovi and I right to you," Michael said.

Jolteon looked behind Michael to see a blue haired girl named Jovi who was Michael's sister. Mimi and Plusey were with her on each of her shoulders. Jolteon gave them nod. "Thanks, guys."

000

Michael took a great big yawn. He was exhausted. Between having to run errands for the Pokémon HQ Lab was really exhausting and having to keep Jovi out of trouble, He hardly had any time for his school work. He closed his textbook having finally finished his assignments for the day. Being home schooled at the HQ Lab was a bit different but Michael didn't mind it. Besides, he had friends that also lived in the Lab so it wasn't too terrible. He turned his card around to face his bed where Jolteon was napping. He had a long day. Michael usually let, Jolteon, Mimi and Plusey out for about an hour each day to play in the woods. Pokémon needs a bit of freedom. Michael sat next to the bed and petted his Jolteon. When he touched his fur, he got a slight shock. Like the one you get after you get after to run your socks on carpet. Being an Electric-Type, Jolteon's fur was filled with static electricity. But Michael got used to it.

A beep was heard of Michael's back pocket. He then pulled out his Pokémon Digital Assistant or P*DA. He opened up his E-mail which is where the beep came from. He read the message.

Hey, Michael,

Can you come down here? I could use some help in the basement.

-Professor Krane

Michael turned off his P*DA and ran out to help the Professor.

000

Michael walked into the second area of the building. This was where the actual Lab was. Michael took the elevator down and he was on the main floor. He walked into the office area where one of Professor Krane's aids was.

"Hey, Michael, Professor Krane is just downstairs," he said.

Michael nodded and hit a switch on the wall. This opened a secret trap door that lead to the basement of the Lab. Michael went down and he found Professor Krane moving boxes.

"Oh, hello, Michael, I'm glad you got my message," Professor Krane said. The Professor had his usual dark red hair that complemented his glasses and since he was the Lab's head Professor, he almost always had a lab coat on.

"What's up?" asked Michael.

"The Snag Machine malfunctioned. It blew two fuses and it busted the power core," the Professor explained.

"What?" Michael asked sounding a bit surprised.

"Don't worry. I can fix it but I need the blue prints for the Snag Machine. They were designed from the original Snag Machine so those could work too," Krane explained as he stood up realizing that they weren't in the box that he was looking in. "But the thing is, this place is storage and I never bothered to clean it out. Could you give me a hand?"

Michael shrugged, "Sure."

000

There was sure a lot of stuff down here. Michael searched through several boxes and he found interesting things like old Pokéball, flies on various types of Pokémon, and old photos from when the Pokémon Research Lab was being built. Michael took a break from searching and he began looking through the album. He made out a young girl with red hair in pig tails that Michael assumed was his mother. There was also a young man in a white lab coat and red hair that was obviously, Professor Krane. But then there was one other person in the picture. He had a large blue jacket with coattails going down his legs which were covered by black pants. He had grey hair and a piece of black and red armor on his left arm.

"Here, it is!" Professor said happily. Krane walked over to a small table that had a couple boxes on they. Krane laid the prints on the desk. "With this, I can have the Snag Machine up and running by the end of the day."

Michael looked at the design of the original Snag Machine. It looked very similar to the piece of the black armor that the man in the picture had.

"Prefessor Krane?" Michael said.

"Yes, Michael?" The Professor replied.

"Is this the original Snag Machine?" Michael said as he held up the photo that he saw.

"Why, yes it is. Wes was the owner of the original Snag Machine. You recall the Legend of Orre? That was him," Krane explained.

"Huh," Michael said in acknowledgement, "Interesting."

"Well, thanks for your help, Michael." Krane said as he packed up the box that he got out. Michael walked back up the stairs, taking the picture with him. _This guy was the original hero? Then why do I feel like I know him, _Michael thought.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Three small rocks were tossed high into the air.

"Jolteon, use Thunderbolt!" Michael shouted.

A blast of lightning shot and zapped the first rock. Then a second blast hit the next rock followed by a third, which took out the last one.

Michael praised his Pokémon for his accuracy. He then turned to his sister who was standing with Plusey and Mimi. "See, Jovi. That is how you pull off a solid Thunderbolt. Now you try."

"Ok, big brother," she said as she took two larger rocks that she got from Michael. She tossed one of them up. "Go, Plusey, use Spark," Jovi said. Plusey waited patiently for the rock to come down and when it was close enough, Plusey jumped up and smashed the rock. It flew across the area.

Michael was impressed. Jovi had only been training for a little more than a week now and she already knew how to command her Pokémon. It also helped that Michael was being her tutor.

After a while, Jovi took a break with her Pokémon which gave Michael some time to work with Jolteon for a bit. He picked up a log that was about the size of his forearm. He threw it out so that it spun and flew decently far. "Go Jolteon, use Thunder Fang." Jolteon took off and as he ran for the stick, he teeth were charged with electricity. Jolteon jumped up and bit into the stick and landed with it in his jaws. It was basically fetch but it was also great training for taking down a fast Flying Pokémon.

"Good job, Jolteon," Michael said as he petted his best friend.

"Jolt. Jolt," the Pokémon replied.

"That was a perfect Thunder Fang," said Professor Krane as he watched from the door of the Lab. He came down the steps and walked out to meet Jak. "Jolteon hasn't lost an ounce of skill since the whole ordeal with Cipher."

"Training keeps us on our toes," Michael said. "Right, Jolteon?"

"JOLT-EON!" the Pokémon said.

Michael stood up to talk to Krane. "So what's up, Professor?"

"I got a call from Sheriff Sherles in Pyrite Town and we got a bit of an issue," the professor said.

"What issue?" Michael questioned.

"It appears that unknown men have broken into the Shadow Pokémon Lab in the middle of the desert."

"Cipher," Michael responded.

"We think so but we want you to check it out just in case," the Professor said, "They might be prepared so I suggest that you bring some other Pokémon with you."

000

Michael checked the fuel gauge on his scooter and then tweaked the hover matrix that was installed. Everything seemed in order. He took out three Pokéballs that he would bring with him. He had his Jolteon obviously and then he brought his Typhlosion that he evolved from when it was a Cyndaquil that he won at Mt. Battle and a Tyranitar that he originally got as a Larvitar from Duking in Pyrite Town. They were the three Pokémon that Michael thought would be the best for this. He put the Pokéballs back in his pocket and pulled his scooter out front. Professor Krane was there waiting with one of his aides.

"Remember, just find out what they are doing. Don't battle unless you have to. Battling would just attract attention."

Michael nodded in response.

"May I see your P*DA, Michael?" Krane asked.

Michael handed the professor the device and Krane added something into the USB slot on the side.

"I'm installing a Wireless communication system," the professor said when he handed the P*DA back to Michael. "Here, if you wear this ear piece, we can communicate more effectively."

Michael put on the ear piece and mounted his scooter.

"Good luck, Michael," Krane said.

Michael smiled as he zoomed off, heading towards the Shadow Pokémon Lab.

000

The majority of the Orre region was desert. The only exception to this was the northwestern part of the region which was actually a lush forest. But as luck would have it, the Shadow Pokemon Lab was in the middle of the desert. Being a desert, sandstorms were actually pretty common. Michael pulled up his goggles as to keep some of his vision. He got to the lab and he parked his scooter behind the lab so that no one would be able to find it. He made his way into the lab and he found that the door to the lab was actually wide open, as opposed to being locked with a code, which was normally how it was. Someone was definitely here. Michael proceeded down the elevator and he was prepared for the worst.

The elevator door opened and Michael hugged the wall. He snuck through, fearing that Cipher agents were swarming the place. After, sneaking around the halls for a bit, Michael was shocked to see no other living beings in the lab. This was weird. If men snuck into the lab, then where were they?

Michael went deeper into the lab and he entered one of the research rooms. Michael was shocked to find all of the equipment gone. Michael went into a conference room in the lab and he checked one of the filing cabinets and all of the files there were gone too.

After wandering a bit more and finding every single room, empty, Michael was really confused.

"Professor, do you copy?" Michael asked.

"I'm here, Michael. What could you find?" the professor replied on the other end.

"I've searched the entire Pokémon Lab and there is no one here. But they were obviously here and they were looking for something. All of the lab equipment and all of the data and files on Shadow Pokémon are missing."

"Well, that's not good," the professor replied. "Ok Michael, come back and we'll think of our next move."

Michael nodded as he left the room.

000

The Purify Chamber hasn't seen much use since the days of the Shadow Pokémon Crisis. The machines that were dead silent for a few years were suddenly powered up and came to life. The professor gave a sigh of relief, pleased that everything was working properly. Knowing that the Shadow Pokémon Project was about to be rebooted, Krane didn't really want to have to replace parts for the Purify Chamber.

The staff of the Pokémon HQ Lab including Krane, and Michael's mom, Lily, crammed into the conference room. They waited for Michael's return. Michael returned and he stood near the center of the room with his mother and Krane.

"Thank you all for coming here," Krane said.

"What is going on, professor?" an aide asked.

"Yesterday, some men entered the Shadow Pokémon Labe in the desert. When Michael checked the lab, the men were nowhere to be found, along with all the information and equipment in the lab."

"Wasn't that lab supposed to be destroyed?" another aide shouted.

"Yes, under order of the major leaders of Orre, demolition of the Shadow Pokémon Lab was scheduled to happen next week.

"That explains why they stole the equipment and information before the Lab would be destroyed, along with everything in it," Lily said.

"Exactly," Krane responded.

"Well, if the Shadow Pokémon Project is going to become active again, why aren't we searching to find these guys?" another aide shouted.

"We could search the entire Orre Region. We could even search the other regions in the world but that would take time. Time that we don't have," Krane replied.

"Well, why not have Michael stop them? He did it last time," an aide shouted asked.

"True, Michael is the best Trainer that we have at the HQ Lab," Lily stated.

"Yes, Michael is a talented Trainer but we don't know how big an operation this is. I don't want him charging recklessly into danger. On top of that, the Snag Machine is out of commission," Krane said.

The aides were appalled. It was horrible timing for the Snag Machine to malfunction like this but it would take a while to get the parts necessary to repair the device.

"Well, if he finds the criminals before any more Shadow Pokémon are made, then there won't be a need for the Snag Machine," Lily said.

Lily had a good point but that meant that the criminals would have to be found fast. "That is a good point but if these people were clever enough to steal an entire Lab full of valuable equipment and information then they will no doubt be prepared for Michael."

"What if we had another trainer that could help Michael find them?" an aide said.

"Another Trainer to watch his back?" Krane asked. "Well then I suppose that it could work. However, he or she would have to be just as talented as Michael or even more so but I don't know of a Trainer like that here."

Michael then got an idea. "How about the Hero?" Michael asked. His statement started to raise a small commotion between the aides that were present. Krane turned to Lily who suddenly looked down, depressed.

"Michael no one has seen hide or hair of the legendary Hero for 6 years," Krane said.

"I can go find him. He has to somewhere in Orre. And while I am out searching for him, I can also look for the criminals. Plus, he should still have the old Snag Machine so we can use that if we find any more Shadow Pokémon," Michael said.

The aides nodded in agreement.

Krane's eyes met with Lily's. He then turned to the aides. "It is probably one of the best ideas that we will get. We shall discuss the idea. You all are dismissed. Back to work," Krane said. The professor then turned to Michael. "Can you give us a second, Michael?"

The boy nodded and left with the aides.

Krane was alone with Lily. The Hero left him and Lily 6 years ago after the HQ Lab was built and since then, no one has heard from him. Would he even still be out there in Orre? If he was then, it would be a matter of finding him. Although, if anyone could find him, Michael could. And if anyone could help Michael stop these criminals, it would be the hero. "What do you think of Michael's plan?"

"He has been gone for 6 years. All that we went through and it feels like he just left me forever," Lily said.

"You know why he left," Krane said.

"I know I do," Lily said.

**Begin Flashback**

The shining white walls of the new Pokémon HQ Lab reflected the orange sunset that was cast on the area. Back then, her name wasn't Lily, it was Rui. She had a pink top on with jeans and white sneakers. She had a small black duffel bag in her hands as she carried it out to the orange motorcycle that was parked outside the Lab. She put the bag in the sidecar seat and turned around. Her husband for a year and a half, Wes, came outside. He was wearing his normal field gear: his long blue trench coat that covered his black plants and shoes. His silver hair blew in the wind. He was followed by his Espeon and Umbreon. His two loyal Pokémon that were with him before Wes went on his journey. He came over to the bike and Rui.

"I don't want you to go," she said.

"I wish I didn't have to but, I can't let more evil people destroy the lives of innocent Pokémon like Cipher did," Wes replied.

Rui nodded and looked down. A small tear escaped her eye. Wes hugged his wife and held her tight. "I'll be back before you know it."

A younger Krane then came out of the lab. He was holding a laptop in his hands. He came over to Wes and showed him the screen. "Ok, Wes, according to the evidence we got, if you head out north of Eclo Canyon, you should be able to find these men."

Wes nodded and mounted his motorcycle. He turned to Krane. "Take care of Rui."

Krane nodded and Wes turned to his wife. He kissed his softly on the lips. "I'll be home soon. Don't worry."

Then Wes started up his motorcycle and before Rui knew it, he was gone.

**End Flashback**

But Wes had been gone for six years. How could Lily not worry?

"Lily?" Krane asked, "Lily?"

Michael's mother snapped back into reality and looked at the professor. "Krane, he has been gone for six years. He is probably dead."

"You don't know that. Wes is a fighter. He wouldn't go down without a fight," Krane responded.

Lily was silent. Krane was right. Wes was very tough. No one could stop Wes when they were saving Orre together.

"Whether Wes is still out there or not, it wouldn't hurt for Michael to go out and find him. Maybe, Michael could find him and bring him back home," Krane explained.

Lily looked as a bit of home filled her heart.

"And if Michael doesn't find Wes, then he will find these unknown criminals first. The way I see it, there isn't any point in the kid just sitting here."

Lily nodded. "I agree, and Michael will need his father's help to stop these people."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Once Michael left the Purify Chamber, he went straight to his room. He sat at the desk in his room and grabbed the pack that he brought on all his journeys. Krane didn't say anything about leaving on this new journey yet but Michael knew that this was the staff's best choice. He took his P*DA and put that in his pocket. He opened the drawer to his desk and grabbed two more Pokéballs that belonged to his Feraligatr and his Donpohan and he put those alongside Jolteon's Pokéball on the desk.

As all this was going on, Jolteon was enjoying a peaceful nap before Michael came in. He gave a big yawn and looked at his owner. He tilted his head to the right, as he was puzzled at what his Trainer was doing. "Jolt!"

"Oh. Hey, Jolteon. We may be heading on another journey soon. I want to be ready for it."

After gathering a couple more things, he set the bag on his desk and waited for some message from Krane.

It was probably only about 20 minutes but for Michael, it felt like hours. In that time, Michael checked his P*DA numerous times, he even changed the batteries to make sure that the device was working. He sighed as he fell backwards onto his bed. After about 5 to 10 more minutes, the door to Michael's room opened. He looked up to see Krane and his mother came in. Professor Krane sat in the rolling chair that was at Michael's desk and Lily sat next to Michael on the bed.

Michael looked at both of them. "So what's going to happen?" he asked.

"Before we tell you what the staff decided, Michael, we want to tell you the truth about what happened," Krane said. "Remember that picture that you found the other day when you were helping me find the blueprints for the Snag Machine, the picture of your mom, me, and the Hero?"

Michael nodded.

"The Hero's name is Wes. He was an outstanding Trainer and had a really good heart. But he started out in a bad place. Wes grew up on the streets, alone except for his two best friends, which were two Eevee that Wes met when he was very young. As Wes lived on the street, he was found by Gonzap. You remember him, right, the leader of Team Snagem?"

Michael nodded again.

"As Wes grew older, his two Eevee evolved into an Espeon and an Umbreon. And those were the two Pokémon that earned Wes the reputation of the best Trainer on Team Snagem," Krane said.

"So what happened? Why did he leave?" Michael asked.

"Wes didn't like what Team Snagem was doing with Cipher. So he wanted to put an end to it all. He destroyed the base and stole the Snag Machine."

Michael nodded again.

"After that, he met me," Lily said. "Together, we saved Orre."

"But wait? How does that make sense?" Michael asked. "In all the historical articles that I found on the Internet, Wes was being helped by a girl named Rui?"

"Rui is my real name, Michael," Lily confessed.

"Why did you need to change your name?" Michael asked.

"I have a special power that no one else has. You know how you need your headset device to see Shadow Pokémon? I could see them with my own eyes. If Wes didn't have me, then he wouldn't know which Pokémon were Shadow Pokémon. I changed my name because all of Cipher knew my name was Rui, if I changed my name, then Cipher wouldn't know that it was me."

Michael nodded again. This was all a lot to take in but he understood it all.

Anyway, once the Shadow Pokémon Crisis was resolved," Krane continued. "Wes met me and we worked together to make the Pokémon HQ Lab. We built it together and we studied the Shadow Pokémon that he snagged on his journey. He asked me if I could help him build a machine that would purify a Pokémon without the need for continuous training. And thus, research on the Relic Stone and Celebi continued until the Purify Chamber was made. However, Wes never got to see the Purify Chamber's completion."

"What happened?" Michael asked.

"You were very little when this happened, Michael. Wes learned of men that were planning to restart the Shadow Pokémon Project. We believe that these were the same men that you stopped on your journey. So, Wes took his Espeon and Umbreon and went out into Orre to find these people."

"But he never came back," Michael said.

"Sadly, yes. But we want you to go and find him. We want you to search Orre and find either Wes or the criminals who broke into the Lab," Krane said.

Michael nodded again. "I'm already packed and ready," he said as he stood up and got his bag off the desk.

"Very well," Krane said, "But you are to contact us every other day. So we know that you are ok. Also, please report your progress."

Michael nodded again.

"You can leave first thing tomorrow morning," Krane said.

000

The sun rose up and the night began to hide. Michael loved to sleep in but this morning was a different story. He sat in the lab's break room finishing his breakfast. He threw away the trash of his meal and he went down to the main floor. His hover scooter was already prepped and ready. Wes was pumped to start another great journey he went down to meet his mother and Professor Krane. Lily gave Michael a backpack filled with food and a small medical kit incase Michael should get in any trouble along the way. Michael put it on his back and he turned to the Professor. He held a laptop in his hands with a map of the Orre region on it.

"Ok, Michael. When Wes left I told him to go to the north of Eclo Canyon. Eclo Canyon is where Team Snagem's base is. If Wes is still out there, that would be your best chance of finding him. If you cannot find him there, I would talk to Gonzap about it. Team Snagem is pretty spread out across Orre some of his men might have an idea of where he went."

Michael nodded and started up his scooter. He turned back to Lily and Krane.

"Good luck, Michael," Krane said.

"Be careful," his mother said.

Michael nodded and he hit the gas. His scooter sped down the path leaving nothing but a trail of dust.

000

The Orre is one of the vaster regions in the world. Being mostly desert, there isn't much in Orre but what there is in Orre it is very spread out. This was unfortunate for Michael because the Pokémon HQ Lab and Team Snagem's hideout were on opposite sides of the region. It was a fairly uneventful ride to the hideout but Michael made it. He took his goggles off and hung them around his neck. He dismounted his scooter and approached the base. The base was a mess and it looked deserted. That was because after 8 years, the team still hasn't cleaned up from the explosion that destroyed the base. Michael approached the door only to find one of the members hanging around outside. He took one last, long drag of the cigarette that was in his mouth and he put it out in the sand.

Michael didn't pay any attention to him. He walked right in the base. He bested all of them in Pokémon Battles so none of them tried to stop Michael from coming in. One of the more friendly members saw him and greeted him.

"Hey, Michael." The member said as he came up to him.

"Hey Wakin," Michael returned the greeting.

Wakin was about in his late 20's and he was Gonzap's right hand man. "What brings you all the way to our base?"

"I need to talk to Gonzap about something," Michael said.

"Well, the boss is kinda busy but I'll see if he can see you. Follow me."

Team Snagem's base was a maze to get through. Maybe before Wes trashed the base, it used to be clean and organized. Michael and Wakin went up the stairs that led to Gonzap's room. He saw Wakin and Michael come and he instantly stopped what he was going. "Michael, how's it going?" Gonzap greeted.

Gonzap was a huge giant of a man. He was physically strong and he had is signature mustache and hair that extended as points around his head. Michael even beat Gonzap in a Pokémon Battle and by doing so, Michael earned Gonzap's trust and respect. "I need to know some information."

Michael told Gonzap the situation and when he finished, Gonzap simply rubbed his chin. "So, you need to find Wes because you think that the Shadow Pokémon Project could be restarted?"

"Correct," Michael said.

Gonzap let out a heavy sigh. He got up from his desk and he started walking around the room. "Wes double-crossed us. He sabotaged our base and stole the Snag Machine. However, now I understand why he did it. We never should have teamed with Cipher. Wes was the right one. He stood up for what he believed in and he righted what was wrong."

"So you know where he went?" Michael asked again.

"Yeah, Wes stopped by here on his way out north. He said he needed fuel and food for the journey. We gave it to him and then he headed north," Gonzap explained.

"Did you ever go after him to see what he was doing?" Michal asked.

"Yeah, I had a couple of my men head out there but they didn't find much. It is difficult to travel up north."

"Why is that?"

"You remember that once the Shadow Pokémon Project was stopped 7 years ago, wild Pokémon started coming over here from Johto and Hoenn?" Well when you stopped the Shadow Pokémon Project, Pokémon from other regions like Sinnoh and Unova came too."

Michael nodded in confirmation.

"So what makes going up north difficult is that many Baltoy and Claydol have settled up there. Plus a group of Sandlie, Krokorok, and one Krookodile are up there too."

"I have a Feraligatr so I think I'll be fine."

"I don't want you going up there, alone. Wakin?"

"Yes, sir?" he said.

"Go with Michael. Your Vileplume can be helpful."

"Yes sir," he replied.

000

Michael's goggles kept a majority of the sand out of his eyes. The Baltoy in the area must have started a sandstorm, making it difficult to see. Michael tried to keep moving. He looked back to see that Wakin wasn't handling the sandstorm any better than Michael was. He was on a hover bike that had Team Snagem markings all over it. He needed keep focused on the task at hand and he kept searching.

"Wakin, Can you see anything?" Michael called.

"No," he called back. "This is why we don't normally come here. The Sandstorm makes it difficult to find out way."

Michael stopped his scooter. "Why don't we change the weather?" Michael called. Wakin stopped alongside Michael and he grabbed one of his Pokéballs and threw it up. "Come on out, Vileplume." The red and white ball opened up to release a large flower Pokémon. "Vileplume, use Sunny Day."

"VILE-PLUME!" the Pokémon said.

Suddenly the sandstorm faded away and all that was left was the blazing sun. The sandstorm fully subsided and all that was left were three Baltoy and a Claydol. They looked shocked at their Sandstorm disappeared. They fled. Not wanting a conflict.

Michael sighed, "Good jab, Wakin," Michael said. He didn't like having a scorching sun in the desert but it was better than the sandstorm. He unhooked the water bottle from his pack and he took a small sip. With the sandstorm gone, it would be easier to find what Wes was looking for. He looked more north and he saw something, a glimmer of light that was reflecting off of something near the rock ridge to the north. Michael put his bottle back in his pack and he hit the throttle.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Wakin called.

Michael sped off until he found what he saw. It was a piece of scrap metal. Michael picked it up and shook it off. It is likely that if a random piece of metal was here, then there must be something hidden here. Michael turned to his right as Wakin rode up.

"Hey, you found something," he said as he got off and walked towards Michael. "Do you think that there could be more…" Before Wakin could finished what he wanted to say he tripped on a chain hidden in the sand and he went face first into the ground.

Michael laughed as he walked over to the chain. "Good job, Wakin,"

The Team Snagem member simply gave Michael a thumbs-up.

Michael took the chain and at the end of it, he found a handle. This must lead to something. He pulled on the chain and a hidden door was opened up. Michael looked in and he found a set of stairs that went deep underground. Wakin looked down into it. Michael took out a flashlight from his backpack and he went down the stairs.

000

As Michael and Wakin got lower, they began losing light until it was all dark except for Michael flashlight. He went into a large room that still looked completely dark. Michael found four light switches and he flipped all of them. They still worked and they lit up the room. Michael was shocked to find the entire room trashed. Lab equipment was destroyed. There were cages that were bent and misshaped. The entire room was a mess.

"Wes did this," Wakin said.

Michael turned to him. "How can you tell?"

"I've seen what he can do first hand. He didn't want any of this to work ever again."

Michael nodded and he kept searching. He looked down a hallway and he heard something that caused him to be on guard. It was almost like a little pitter patter. Like the scurry of a small Pokémon. Michael flipped on his flashlight again to see a small little Sandile looking at him with his big black eyes. What Michael didn't expect was the Sandile to jump at Michael using a Bite attack. Michael leaned back and dodged the Sandile's jaws. The Sandlie turned back to face Michael. The young trainer responded by grabbing one of the Pokéballs I his pocket. Michael threw the ball and it opened up to let loose a white light. The light flew out and formed on the ground to reveal a huge, blue, alligator.

The small Sandlie looked up at the much bigger reptile and he ran away into the darkness.

Michael smiled. "Good job, Feraligatr," Michael said. He focused his light down the tunnel that the Sandlie went down. He flipped a switch on the wall but he was rewarded with sparks from broken lamps. Still Michael continued down the hallway. There were a few more Sandile that simply ran in fear of Michael's Feraligatr. Michael turned a corner and in the darkness, he saw some light. It was the faint glow of a computer monitor.

Michael propped his flashlight up so that he could see and work. While the rest of the area was mostly destroyed, this room was virtually untouched. Michael started searching the files. He found this computer to be filled with security footage from the base. The majority of the tapes were years of recording nothing. This place must have been abandoned for 7 or 8 years. Michael spent the next half an hour searching for anything that could help him when her pulled up the footage from July 17th about 7 years ago. It showed a man in a lab coat battling Wes. Michael watched as the scientist's Magnezone was at the mercy of Wes's Espeon. The scientist lost and Wes continued on. Michael went to another tape. It was of a place called Sector 9. It was of a hanger somewhere in the base. Michael saw 7 men in blue armor that looked similar to Cipher armor. They were loading up a truck with crates. There was one that was standing and ordering the others. He obviously seemed to be the leader. He turned around. Wes must have come into the room. The leader challenged Wes to a battle. He seemed very confident. Michael watched as Wes's Espeon and Umbreon were sent out of their Pokéballs. The scientist just smiled. He sent out a Pokémon that Michael had never seen before. It had a humanoid body but no legs. Its skin was pitch-black and ribbons of darkness came off of the Pokémon's shoulders and hips. It had what looked like white hair on its head and a red ring of what looked like teeth around its neck. One huge blue eye peeked out on the right side of its face. It looked very powerful.

Wes was intimidated but he would never back down. Not when the lives of Pokémon were at stake. It's appearance screamed Dark-type so Espeon's Psychic attack would be a bit useless here. But, Wes had faced powerful Dark-types before so this would be a piece of cake.

"Espeon, use Signal Beam. Umbreon, use Toxic," Wes commanded. Espeon raised its head and powerful energy began to gather in the gem on Espeon's forehead. Umbreon raised its head and poisonous sludge gathered in the red gem on its forehead.

"Darkrai, use Dark Void," the shadowy man ordered. The blue eye of the Pokémon that was Darkrai, glowed and then then a crimson orb of energy was forming above Darkrai. It didn't take long for the energy ball to reach full strength as Darkrai launched it at Espeon and Umbreon. The energy ball exploded into several smaller balls. They hit Wes's Pokémon and the energy formed a sphere around Espeon and one around Umbreon. Wes was shocked. He had never seen such power. The balls faded away and Espeon and Umbreon lay there motionless. There were simply asleep though. Wes looked up at Darkrai and at the trainer.

The truck was already loaded and the back was closed. The man turned around without saying a word and Darkrai followed him. The man got in to vehicle. He turned looked back at Wes. "Until, next time, Hero," he said. The vehicle then sped away out of Sector 9.

000

Michael and Wakin stood in the Sector 9 hanger. Jolteon was sent out and he was smelling for anything that could've given him a lead. So far, Michael had nothing.

"So, you mean to tell me, that somebody actually beat Wes?" Wakin asked.

"Yes, and you have seen what his Pokémon can do. We have to stop this guy," Michael responded.

"Right, well did any other tapes show which direction the truck went?" Wakin asked.

"Not, really, it just vanished from sight," Michael replied.

"Well, I've been around Orre for a while and there isn't much that is close to here. A truck like that one that they took wouldn't be able to go very far without fuel extra fuel," Wakin explained, "and it seems that all of their storage space was filled with the crates."

"Well, where could they have gone?" Michael asked.

Wakin walked over to a workbench that was in Sector 9. There was a map of Orre lay out there. Michael followed him. "Ok, if you got west, you get more deserts. It you keep going farther, than you will reach the Johto region but as I said, they wouldn't be able to make it there with that kind of truck."

"Ok, so what else is there?" Michael asked.

"Well, north is nothing. West and you get the Cipher Key Lair but that was cleared out." Wakin continued to explain.

"So, that leaves south," Michael said.

"Right, specifically, the Outskirt Stand. They could've filled up at the Outskirt Stand and then keep going. Maybe, that could've been where Wes went too."

**A Note from Rappkea**

Hey, everybody. Thank you for all the feedback that you've been giving me on my story so far. It is really appreciated. I just want to say thank you and keep them coming. I also want to ask you guys to recommend Pokémon for me to use. Starting in the next couple chapters, I will start having characters catching wild Pokémon for their teams. I am having a bit of difficulty thinking up of teams on my own so I want to ask you guys to help me out. Please recommend Pokémon that you really like or Pokémon that would be really interesting to include in my story. Pokémon from generation 1 through 5 are all fair game so feel free to give me creative ideas that I can use. Thanks, everyone. See ya for the next chapter. ;)


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